One Simple Mistake
by Ebil Chameleon
Summary: It was all a mistake. It was his fault. He didn't mean for it to happen. So...would he live, or die, all because of one simple mistake? IkeXSoren


**Alright. This is my first FE fanfic. I fell in love with Ike/Soren and I can't get enough of it. So, I wanted to try my luck and write one. I hope it turns out ok, and I hope everyone is in character. **

**Disclaimer: Nope. I do not own anyone. **

**EDIT!: I just did some editing work. Nothing major, just some grammtical things. **

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It was a complete mistake. A miscalculation. A blunder in the plan that he had never expected. Normally his plans were nearly flawless, and everything would go accordingly. When they had taken this job, he had formulated multiple ideas of driving the bandits from the town they were to travel to and there didn't seem to be a problem in any of them.

The only thing they had to worry about was that this group was fairly large, but they only had a select few that were reasonably powerful. He had never though, worried about a sneak attack from the shadows. That's were everything went wrong.

And that's how he was stuck, sitting uncomfortably in the mess hall. The whole group of mercenaries was there, waiting anxiously for news on their commander's condition. Rhys and Mist were taking care of Ike, and no one had gotten word of how he was doing since they brought him back to their base. Titania was talking quietly with Oscar in the corner of the room. Boyd listened in, mainly fussing with the sling that held his bandaged arm steady. The thing was bugging him to no end. He was the only other one that got badly injured in the battle besides Ike. Lastly, Rolf sat away eavesdropping.

Brooding in his seat was Shinon. The red-headed archer glared at everyone, seemingly frustrated that the plan didn't go smoothly and that they were forced to pull out. He sneered in Soren's direction and the mage lowered his head and narrowed his eyes at the floor.

The raven haired boy wanted nothing more than to retreat to his room. But he couldn't leave until he got news on Ike. If he went to his room now, he would doubtlessly miss out on the conditioning report and probably no one would bother to go and tell him anything.

He looked up through deep ruby eyes and caught Shinon's glare. He immediately lowered his head and sighed miserably. There was no doubt that he was more worried than anyone in this room. In this world. His stomach wouldn't settle and it didn't get better when the blood soaked picture of Ike flashed through his mind. It sent chills through his body and his heart skipped a beat. It was all his fault. If he was paying more attention…

"You alright?" a soft voice spoke. His head shot up and he looked into the concerned eyes of Mia. She looked at him with such a soft expression. She sat by him at a distance since she knew he wasn't the most comfortable person around others. She had been watching him and felt horrible for him. She noticed his nervous glances and his fumbling hands messing with the clothes tied around his waist.

He nodded mutely and avoided further eye contact. He wanted the bad feelings to go away. He wanted everything to have gone perfectly. He didn't want Ike possibly fighting for his life all because of him.

"You're really worried about him huh? I mean, we all are," she said while studying him further. She noticed Rolf talk with Shinon. The older man nodded and picked up his bow off the table before him. Gatrie, who was sitting beside him, looked up and must have decided to tag along with his friend and the student. The three exited the room. She continued. "But your concern is deeper huh?" She looked him over again. "You really care for him."

In many ways, Mia reminded Soren of Ike. She was very observant when it came to peoples' emotions. She seemed to know exactly how they felt and she wanted to try and help in anyway she could, even if she wasn't an expert at it.

"He'll be fine. I'm sure of it," she assured the magic user. She stood up off the bench they were sitting on and debated whether giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder or not. In the end she decided not to and walked off over by Titania, Boyd, and Oscar. The three smiled up at her.

Soren couldn't help but think. He had already been thinking about everything that happened, and he just couldn't stop. He sighed again and leaned back, replaying the day's events once more.

_The enemy's numbers were being cut down easily by the mercenaries. They weren't much of a problem at all. The boss of the group was staying further behind the others, waiting for the mercenaries to reach him before he began to fight. He looked strong enough, and he had a mouth that ran like a beast laguz. _

_Soren was staying slightly behind the group, monitoring the battle and lending a hand when he was needed. The others were doing exceptionally well, so he was perfectly fine, staying back out of the way by the patch of woods. Rhys and Mist weren't too far away from him. They were stationed on the other side of the battle field, waiting to rush in if they were needed. _

_Soren couldn't help himself as his red eyes focused on the fluid movements of the commander. The way Ike attacked; it was just natural to him. No one was able to land an onslaught on him at all. He had just defeated another assailant and he looked back at the young mage. There eyes met and after a brief moment, Soren looked away to survey the others. _

_The wind began to pick up as it caused the trees to rustle violently. One of the tomes that was stored in Soren's robes got lose and went free in the wind. "Damnit." He cursed. He reached out swiftly and caught the troubling paper before it could get too far away from him. The wind, for some reason was blowing furiously, and to Soren, it was unsettlingly unnatural. _

_Maybe he was being careless. Maybe he wasn't thinking much of it. Or maybe he was being less observant. But the next instant, after he had stuffed the tome back into his robes did he look up to see his blue haired friend running franticly towards him._

_Everything from then on happened in slow motion. Despite the rapid speed Ike was running at, he seemed to move a snails pace. His mouth opened and Soren heard his name being yelled. "Soren! Get down!" _

_He didn't do as the words commanded but instead he looked back over his shoulder. His eyes widened when he noticed three bulky axe wielders hurriedly approaching from the woods behind him. One of which was dangerously close to him, his axe held high ready to strike. He had no time to attack because just before he was about to be struck by the steel axe, he was knocked the ground. The wind was knocked out of him and he gasped for breath, his eyes tightly shut. That had hurt, but not as bad as what could have happened. _

_Then he heard the loud gasp of pain. _

_That horrid sound. Ike gasped as the axe came in contact with his body. It sliced into his side, causing him to wince harshly. He couldn't have prevented the attack. His sword was trapped beneath his hand that was firmly set into the ground by Soren's head. _

_Soren was terrified to look up. His eyes were still closed when he heard more cries of pain from the man above him. Then there were footsteps, and through the lids over his eyes he was able to make out a bright flash of light. _

_Rhys was able to get to them and force the enemy's back with his light magic. He dared to open his eyes only to see the pained face of Ike. The older man was breathing heavily and his hand was clenching his bleeding side. His eyes were clenched shut in anguish. He hovered over Soren weakly on one arm. _

_Some of the others must have arrived, Soren wasn't sure. The next thing that happened was Rhys pulling Ike off him and gently setting him down on the ground. In no time, he began healing him. _

"_We're going to have to retreat." It was Titania, and she sounded thoroughly exhausted and frustrated. "They're bringing in more reinforcements and Boyd's been hurt." _

_There was more discussion that Soren didn't wish to listen in to. He was yanked to his feet by Oscar. Gatrie and Shinon helped lift Ike and the group left the area as fast as they could. _

He knew it was his fault. He should have been looking out for himself better. He wasn't weak anymore, but it was obvious that he could just cause problems. He remarked the white robes that billowed around the feet Rhys. Mist followed right behind him. It was hard to tell just from looking at them what was going on. Both looked, if nothing else, concerned. The group in the corner looked up and migrated over towards the two staff wielders to hear the news. Rolf ran in from outside and stood with his brothers. Shinon stood, leaning against the door frame and Gatrie stood right next to him, arms crossed defiantly across his chest.

Rhys spoke first. "Ike," he started, his eyes roaming around the room. They ended up on a lone set of eager scarlet eyes. "Is going to be fine." It felt like everyone let out a deep breath that they had been holding. "He will be out of commission for a bit, but he'll be alright," he reported happily. Talk of praise and cheer sounded through the group. They all smiled for the first time since that morning, happy to hear that their commander was going to be alright.

Soren inwardly smiled. He stood up unnoticed and silently slipped through the door to the hallway and he retreated to his room.

**XxX**

"Do you need anything?"

"No."

"Are you sure? Do you want an extra pillow? You can use mine."

"No, I'm fine."

"Really? Well, are you hungry? Or thirsty? Do you want some of that herbal medicine Rhys made?"

"No. Trust me, I'm fine."

"…"

"…"

"…You sure?"

"Yes already."

Mist frowned at the bite added to her brother's words. She couldn't help but be concerned. He nearly died! Of course she would worry to death. He was her only family left. And though she considered the rest of the mercenaries her family, they weren't her family in the way Ike was. She would be devastated if he left her.

"Sorry. I just can't help it," she explained.

Ike knew what she meant. It was in Mist's nature to worry. And he was her older brother, so that would cause her to grow anxious. He knew he worried her to death today. But he had thrown himself in the way for someone he loved dearly. A bit of worry was worth knowing that he was alright. And besides that, where was he anyways?

"Have you seen Soren today?" he asked calmly. Mist, who was fluffing up his pillows, (much to his annoyance) sat back in her seat by his bed and nodded.

"Briefly. Then I believe he went to his room. He's been in there all day," she said, her gaze trailing off as she thought about the quiet boy. She had never talked to Soren much, yet she was slightly closer to him than he was with others. She had always liked Soren, mainly because he was a good friend to Ike. The two got along so well. Everyone noticed how close the two were. But only one person knew just how close they really were.

Ike simply nodded but couldn't help but feel concerned. He was confident that Soren was blaming himself for what happened. When truthfully, it wasn't his fault. It really was Ike's fault. He could have handled the situation better, but he let his emotions blind him into just jumping right into the path of destruction.

Suddenly there was a quiet knock on his door. Mist jumped up to answer it. She opened the door to find Soren looking sullen as he lowered his raised hand back down to his side. "I know it's late, but would I be able to see him?" he asked.

Mist looked over her shoulder at her brother who nodded his head. She turned back to Soren and smiled nicely. "Yes, of course," she said and moved aside so he could enter the room. He walked in past her. Mist was prepared to leave the room, but she stopped. "Soren, you didn't come to dinner. Would you like me to bring you something?" she asked. She was fully prepared to make something for him, though it would prove to be a difficult task since the boy was picky.

"No, I'm alright," he said. She looked slightly disappointed.

"Oh, ok. If you change your mind, please tell me. And come get me or Rhys if you need us Ike," she said and then hesitantly closed the door behind her.

That left the two in the silent room. Soren was still standing by the door, not moving as he looked anxiously at Ike. He wasn't sure of what to say, and he really wasn't sure exactly what Ike was thinking at this moment. Did he hate him? Did he think he was weak? That he couldn't protect himself? Was he upset with him? What!? What was he thinking?

"Are you going to come over here and give me a kiss? I kinda can't walk," Ike stated as he watched his lover, who looked as though he was thinking something over extensively. The black haired boy looked up at Ike and ruby eyes met sapphire.

It felt strange. The declaration, the command for a kiss said out loud was a foreign thing for either one of them to hear or say. They had been so careful not to let anyone find out about their relationship. For a year, they had been keeping their secret. Only one person had found out.

Rhys.

He was smarter than anyone gave him credit for. He was the first to pick up on how close the two were. About five months into their relationship, Rhys had grown suspicious. And then one day, it was hard to remember the details, Rhys had found the two in an embrace. They didn't think anyone would have found them, but the staff wielder had. They both talked to him and he had agreed to keep their secret.

Soren advanced over to the bed and leaned over slowly to give Ike a sweet kiss. Well, that was a good sign. He wasn't mad at him at least. There was one less thing to worry about. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

Ike shrugged slightly, trying not to move too much. Soren sat in the chair that was previously occupied by Mist. He looked over Ike's bare torso, wrapped in bandages to keep the wounds together and clean. Just seeing that gave him a horrible sinking feeling. Ike noticed Soren look away and he frowned.

"Don't," he said firmly. "I know you're blaming yourself."

Soren remained silent. Even though Ike told him not to blame himself, he couldn't help it. He blamed himself and nothing was going to change that.

"It's really my fault I guess. In a way," Ike continued on. He was staring at the ceiling as he said these words, and he missed Soren's slightly startled look. There was just no way he could possibly blame himself! "But then again, in a way it was no one's fault. No one but the rouges we were going after," he said scowling.

There was no way the mage could accept that. "You have no reason to blame yourself," he said. "It was my fault, why don't we leave it at that?"

Ike's brows knitted together. "Seriously, that's ridiculous."

"Not as much as you blaming yourself! You risked your life trying to protect me and your going to say that me being attacked was your fault?"

"Yes. There is perfect reasoning that says so."

"I'm not seeing any. I should have been more careful. More observant. I would have noticed them coming after me and could have prevented this all from happening."

"Honestly, Soren, your being stupid," Ike said firmly.

"Oh? So I'm stupid now?"

"No. Ugh…you're taking this the wrong way!" Ike said loudly, now getting frustrated at the mage's stubbornness. He had started to sit up unconsciously and he hissed in pain as the wounds were agitated. He was warned several times by Mist and Rhys that if he was too careless he could re-open the wounds.

Soren stood right up and his hand was set on Ike's shoulder. "Don't," he hissed, glaring. Ike, startled by the sudden fierceness, laid back down. Soren slowly sank back down into the chair and sighed. A silence filled the room once more.

"I wish you would say something," Ike said, looking down at his dressings to make sure nothing was wrong. Soren rolled his eyes.

"What do you want me to say?" he questioned.

Ike didn't know how to answer. What did he want him to say? "Say…I don't know. I just don't like the silence," he said. This was getting them nowhere. It wasn't normal for them to get into fights, or to argue frequently. They got into petty arguments sometimes, but nothing major. "Look. I think we should agree on one thing. I don't think what happened was either of our faults. Can we leave it at that?" Ike asked.

It was reasonable. Though Soren knew it would be hard to forget everything. When he saw the scars on Ike, he knew that there would be some small form of guilt in him that will make itself known. It would be best to just forget about the whole thing, forget about who was at fault, and just be thankful that Ike was alright.

"Yeah. Fine," he finally agreed.

Ike gave a small grin and motioned for the boy to move closer to him. Soren moved to sit on the edge of the bed. Ike arranged the pillows behind him so they sat against the wall. They provided good support so he was able to sit up. He moved, with help from Soren into a sitting position.

"Do you want me to leave so you can sleep? It is pretty late," Soren offered, now thinking about just how late it might be. He didn't want to strain Ike, or keep him up past his limit. But the blue haired boy merely shook his head.

"I'm fine," he said. Soren wasn't too sure, but he just went along with what the other one said. He just gave him a skeptical look.

Ike, catching sight of that look chuckled. He leaned down, since being in a sitting position made him slightly taller than Soren, and captured the younger ones lips in a tantalizing, slow kiss. He brought his hand around and thread his fingers in silky black tresses. Soren placed his hands on either side on Ike's body on the bed to steady himself when Ike deepened the kiss. Soren could feel the warm fire stir inside of him and he got tingles in his stomach.

"Whoa. Ah…"

The pair broke apart and found Rhys in the doorway, looking embarrassed.

"Sorry you two. I have a horrible habit of walking in on you guys huh? I guess you're just lucky it was me," he said while rubbing the back of his neck. "It's actually good that I came in. Mist is coming. She wasn't convinced that you were ok without eating all day Soren," Rhys explained. The mage made a face.

"Yes, so she's on her way with some sweet roasted chicken for you. And I made a new herbal remedy for you to try Ike," Rhys said.

Simultaneously, both boys looked at him with disgusted faces as they both said, "Ew."

_Owari_

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**Haha. Yeah, I've always gotta have humor in my story. Somewhere at least. Do did you all like it? I really hope so. Since it was my first for FE. Um…was everyone at least, close to being in character? I really want to know. I really hope so. Well, tell me what you all think!**


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